And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. No more cycling thru old patterns... Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

I learned about the secret handshakes at a family reunion as a child. The Gospels don't record Jesus giving formal handshakes (a gesture that became common later in Western culture anyway). What we do see repeatedly in The Scriptures is warm, embodied connection... My handshakes are a firm grip and one hard shake, I give long hugs though. How bout you?

His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

Biblically, if you're without chastisement, you're not truly a son (Hebrews 12:8). It's evidence of care, leading to freedom and fruitfulness.

The brain fights it ("Am I dying? Call 911!"), mirroring how we resist God's refining because it hurts.

The "old you" (dysregulated patterns, trauma responses, survival mode) has to break down for the renewed version to emerge. Just as physical healing from chronic stress/trauma involves temporary worsening (shaking, emotions flooding, hyper-awareness), spiritual chastening strips away what hinders growth.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025) Ozzy passed away on July 22, 2025, shortly after a farewell performance with Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath (the band and the cultural moment) leaned heavily into dark imagery, occult themes, and a celebration of rebellion, darkness, and mortality. Ozzy himself embodied the "Prince of Darkness" archetype for decades. We're pointing out that embracing death and the macabre was their brand. But "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God... for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his." The old Sabbath was a shadow; Christ is the substance. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. It's about what we fix our gaze on, light or darkness. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face. Even with the light indwelling us, our current perception is partial, veiled, imperfect until the full unveiling. Ozzy was born on Dec 3, 1948. We opened the good book on Dec 3, 2019. It was sweet in our mouth, bitter in our stomach.

Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you.

“Pure Heart” (spiritually) unscrambles into The Rapture as the sudden, glorious unveiling/transfiguration of the Body of Christ. At the Rapture, what has been hidden, the purified hearts of believers, is suddenly revealed in full glory. It’s not just a “catching away” it’s a mass transfiguration of the entire Body of Christ, mirroring what happened to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Engage, love, serve, but don't root your identity or ultimate hope here in fallen men.

We continue to lift up the KING JESUS while the world still blasphemes His Name.

Love-Lies-Bleeding will forever be one of my favorite inflorescences that we grew from seed. Jesus is Glory.

JESUS OF NAZARETH. THE KING OF THE JEWS. THE DECLARATION OF HIS ETERNAL IDENTITY. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

No fear of the judgement seat, nothing but rewards. 😍